This invention relates to toothbrushes, in particular to toothbrushes having a feature in their structure to modify flexibility.
Toothbrushes are known which have a feature in their structure to modify their flexibility during use. For example EP 0 033 641A discloses a toothbrush having a series of xe2x80x98Sxe2x80x99 bends in its handle, and DE 39 234 95A discloses a toothbrush having cut-outs in its handle which contain a flexible elastomer. Such features are included in a toothbrush to absorb excessive brushing forces.
It is an object of this invention to provide an alternative structure of toothbrush having a flexibility-modifying feature in its structure.
According to this invention a toothbrush is provided having a head and a handle being made of a hard plastic material and being disposed along a longitudinal axis, the head having bristles extending therefrom in a bristle direction which is generally perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, the toothbrush having a width direction generally perpendicular to both the longitudinal axis direction and the bristle direction, the toothbrush having a resiliently flexible composite region between its head and handle characterised in that the composite region comprises one or more members which are generally triangular shape in section when cut in a plane parallel to the longitudinal direction and perpendicular to the width direction, each of the triangular shapes having an apex which points in a direction either generally in the bristle direction or generally at a direction 180xc2x0 to the bristle direction, the at least one triangular sectioned member comprising either at least one triangular sectioned member made of a resilient elastomeric material different to the hard plastic material of the toothbrush head and handle situated longitudinally between two adjacent regions of a hard plastic material, or at least one triangular sectioned member made of a hard plastic material situated longitudinally between two adjacent regions of elastomeric material different to the hard plastic material of the toothbrush head and handle.